INTRODUCTION: With local or regional anaesthesia being employed for more as well as more complex surgical procedures, an increasing number of patients remain fully conscious during their operation. This is generally perceived as being advantageous to the patient as less time is spent in hospital and the side effects of general anaesthesia are avoided. However, there is no direct measure of the patient experience during 'awake surgery', in particular of which aspects of the process may be distressing. METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing day case plastic surgery under local anaesthesia were asked to complete a short questionnaire immediately following their operation. This was designed to identify specific factors likely to either increase or reduce anxiety during surgery. The questionnaire was initially validated on a pilot group of ten patients. RESULTS: Unsurprisingly, painful stimuli such as injections were identified as potential stressors. More interestingly, the data highlighted that some commonly used surgical terms such as 'knife' and 'scalpel' provoke considerable anxiety in the conscious patient. This varied according to age and sex with younger and female patients being most vulnerable. Other events identified as potential stressors, such as casual conversations and movements among theatre staff, were actually shown to be non-stressful and, in some cases, stress relieving. CONCLUSIONS: Technical jargon used by surgical staff can elevate anxiety levels among patients who are awake for their operation. Careful consideration of the words we use may reduce this, particularly in female patients.
INTRODUCTION: With local or regional anaesthesia being employed for more as well as more complex surgical procedures, an increasing number of patients remain fully conscious during their operation. This is generally perceived as being advantageous to the patient as less time is spent in hospital and the side effects of general anaesthesia are avoided. However, there is no direct measure of the patient experience during 'awake surgery', in particular of which aspects of the process may be distressing. METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing day case plastic surgery under local anaesthesia were asked to complete a short questionnaire immediately following their operation. This was designed to identify specific factors likely to either increase or reduce anxiety during surgery. The questionnaire was initially validated on a pilot group of ten patients. RESULTS: Unsurprisingly, painful stimuli such as injections were identified as potential stressors. More interestingly, the data highlighted that some commonly used surgical terms such as 'knife' and 'scalpel' provoke considerable anxiety in the conscious patient. This varied according to age and sex with younger and female patients being most vulnerable. Other events identified as potential stressors, such as casual conversations and movements among theatre staff, were actually shown to be non-stressful and, in some cases, stress relieving. CONCLUSIONS: Technical jargon used by surgical staff can elevate anxiety levels among patients who are awake for their operation. Careful consideration of the words we use may reduce this, particularly in female patients.
Authors: Arvid S Haugen; Geir E Eide; Marit V Olsen; Berit Haukeland; Asa R Remme; Astrid K Wahl Journal: J Clin Nurs Date: 2009-08 Impact factor: 3.036
Authors: Tanika Kelay; Emmanuel Ako; Christopher Cook; Mohammad Yasin; Matthew Gold; Kah Leong Chan; Fernando Bello; Roger K Kneebone; Iqbal S Malik Journal: BMJ Simul Technol Enhanc Learn Date: 2018-11-29
Authors: Arif Musa; Alex K Wong; Jahan Tajran; Daniel Chen; Jeffrey C Wang; Ricardo Engel; Christopher Cooke; David Safani; Rana Movahedi; Madison Wheaton; Gligor Gucev Journal: Aesthetic Plast Surg Date: 2021-02-17 Impact factor: 2.326
Authors: Estephania Del Aguila; Jorge R Martínez; José L Pablos; Marino Huánuco; Victor M Encina; Ana L Rhenals Journal: Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open Date: 2019-10-30